Face to face selling in a B2B world has been the cornerstone of opportunity development for revenue retention and growth. Sure, online and telesales have steadily increased as a sales channel but pandemic and recessionary influences have accelerated a paradigm shift to the point where the new normal is bringing the decline of face to face customer interactions and the rise of remote selling. According to recent research from McKinsey two-thirds of buyers prefer remote interactions with suppliers.
As you ponder this, you are probably struggling with how to balance, realign, upskill and deploy the sales effort to retain and grow revenue, increase market share and keep customers happy. This transformation is not simple and will not be enacted overnight.
Often, one's initial diagnosis and focus for change is people and capability. Not a bad choice at face value. Reskilling and development or restructuring then become the question. If the former, consider whether the organisation has a competency reference framework, to not only ascertain what competencies are required in the remote selling world, but also to ascertain what the competency level of each individual contributor and their leaders are.
Baselining the sales competencies of the sales team enables you to move "round pegs in square holes" to "round pegs in round holes". Additionally, it provides the basis for focused training programs and measurable individual development plans. It also enables you to hire with the right competencies, reflected in the job description and hiring process for the role. Get a view of your sales capability through initiating a Competency Baseline Assessment.
For some, change will need to be more drastic and restructuring sales is the only viable option. Our strong recommendation, if this is indeed the chosen direction, is not to immediately look at sales roles but first take time to look at the sales function as a whole.
There are numerous pulleys and levers to consider. In fact, there are 20 key components that that will drive sales effectiveness and outcomes in the new paradigm of remote selling – regardless of your industry, location or company size.
The challenge for most business owners and sales leaders is how are we tracking against these and if one needs to pivot for this change which component(s) need attention first. How does your company perform? Get a view to lay the trajectory for change through a Sales Effectiveness Baseline Assessment.
Contact us if you want to find out how we can help you address the challenges you have with your sales.
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